The bad news: In some ways, we’re still having the same problems as our ancestors 300 years ago.
The good news: A team in Berlin is working on it.
One of the first energy solutions our society came up with was to use running water to turn a wheel and power a mill. But the issue with this solution was (is) that we were limited in where this power was available to us. Rivers too high could wash the whole area downstream. Rivers too low and those big wheels won’t be turning. You live in the desert? Tough luck.

Steam me up, James
Then came James Watt who invented an engine that used coal to turn water into steam. This revolution allowed us to take power to wherever we needed it.
The steam engine turned “mills” from slow shops along the banks of rivers into roaring factories spread out all over industrial economies of 18th century Europe.

Back to the old problem
Today, we’re sitting in our mills with the same problem. But this time the problem isn’t where, it’s when. Currently (in many places), renewables are the cheapest form of energy money can buy, and there is more than enough sun and wind to power all of our energy demand and more.
According to Carbon Tracker, the land required for solar panels to provide all global energy alone is 450,000 km2, which is 0.3% of the global land area and less than the current land footprint of fossil fuel infrastructure.

The problem is that this energy is only available when the sun is shining and wind is blowing. This makes it very difficult for energy grids to maintain a perfect balance between the supply of power from the sun and wind, and the demand for electricity from consumers like you.
The same way the steam engine allowed us to move our factories to where we needed them, we need something that can take our renewable energy to when we need it.

The team at Berlin-based startup, STOFF2, have developed just the thing.
STOFF2 is closing the gap with hydrogen

Say hello to Daniel Vila, part of the dream team behind STOFF2 and a German pioneer in the hydrogen and energy storage markets: “STOFF2 is developing a new electrolysis technology with an inherent energy storage function”: The Zinc Zwischenschritt Electrolyzer, or Zinc Intermediate-step Electrolyzer (ZZE), for those of us who don’t speak fluent German-engineer.

“The ZZE operates like a battery,” Daniel explains, “charging renewable electricity when it is available, cheap, and would otherwise be curtailed.” But here’s the kicker, when it discharges, it doesn’t just spit out electricity, it also produces hydrogen gas.
Daniel further explains, “The ZZE’s asymmetric charging (relative to the discharging) power provides two key benefits. On the charging side, the ZZE stores large amounts of energy in a short amount of time. This empowers our customers and/or local grid operators to integrate higher shares of renewable energy into their systems by preventing curtailment.”

Curtailment is just a fancy way of saying wasted renewable energy. Like when you drive passed a wind turbine on a windy day, but the blades aren’t spinning. Often that means that there is no demand available so operators can’t put their renewables into the grid.
Daniel continues, “On the discharging side, the ZZE reliably discharges hydrogen gas over a longer period of time, in line with the customer’s demand profile. This provides a secure and cost-effective way for them to decarbonize their energy demand.”

The new steam engine
STOFF2 isn’t content with being another drop in the ocean of green tech—no, they’re here to make waves across industries.
“Heavy industry that cannot directly electrify needs a way to decarbonize; and green energy grids need energy storage that can help handle the intermittency of renewable generation. The benefit of the ZZE is that it is one device capable of doing both tasks,” says Daniel.
When it comes to goals, STOFF2 doesn’t mess around. Short-term? They’re looking to strut their stuff in first-of-a-kind projects with up to 20 MWh of storage capacity before taking on full-scale industrial applications. Long-term? They’re looking to bring 100% renewable energy to all sectors. Sounds like a green revolution to us.

Join the Green Team
So, what can you do to help? “Help us spread the word!” Daniel encourages. You can follow STOFF2 on LinkedIn, share their posts, check out their website for updates and job openings. Be a social media influencer, but instead of promoting played-out green-washing campaigns, you can promote planet-saving technology. Which makes for much cooler talks at the bar anyway.
STOFF2’s office and laboratory are at the .GUT Collaboration Center at the former Tegel airport in Berlin (also the GICA HQ). And according to Daniel, that’s what this is all about: Collaboration. “Continued communication and connection are vital to our success. As a community, we need to keep connecting each other to potential partners because even though there are great people and companies doing great work, none of us are going to accomplish anything alone.”

At GICA, we’re all about supporting these hydrogen-producing innovators. Want to get more charged up about impact? Zoom on over to gica.community to get inspired while reading another article: Heat Storage Berlin
Daniel on LinkedIn? Here!